A farmer who reported an incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has criticised Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and said she saw up to ten suspects, not just five.
The woman, in her 50s, alerted police after spotting balaclava-clad men entering the base. Five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences but have now been released on bail, according to authorities.
Text to neighbours
The farmer has revealed the message she sent to her local neighbours' WhatsApp group at 1.49am. She wrote: “In case anyone is awake…something odd is going on in the village. The road by the village hall is blocked by three white vans and we saw a group of masked men. I’ve called the police to report”.
She said she had been at a party "much later" than she would normally stay out and spotted three vans positioned in a "weird formation" forming a "loop" in the village of Whelford.
"When you live in Whelford, you notice everything," she said, explaining that residents are familiar with one another and the vehicles they drive.
Response to Streeting
The farmer described the vans as displaying "strange signage" on their sides. "I looked at it and thought 'that is not real'," she added. She pulled over to examine the vans and attempted to ring the telephone number displayed on the side of one vehicle – but the line was dead.
Her comments come after Defence Secretary Wes Streeting claimed the woman only had a "partial picture" when she dialled emergency services.
The woman has fired back at Streeting, saying "nobody in any sort of official capacity has been in touch". She said she was not a "nosey neighbour" and is calling for the authorities to admit their "the mess-up".
She said: "It's such a flash moment but there were definitely more than five. We think maybe between eight and ten of them."
"And a lot of them had their faces covered. They were all wearing similar. Almost you'd have thought perhaps it was what they'd been told to wear."
The five suspects are all UK nationals in their 20s who live in London, police say.
The Iranian embassy in London has said it "categorically rejects" speculation linking the country to the arrests. In a statement posted on X, the embassy said it "strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets".
